"Hooded" electrical connectors generally include a connector housing having a plurality of terminal-receiving passages extending between a forward mating end of the housing and a rear end thereof. A plurality of terminals are received in the passages, and the terminals are connected to a multi-wire cable which extends away from the rear end of the connector. A cover or hood covers or encloses the rear end of the connector about the terminated end of the multi-wire cable.
On the other hand, terminal position assurance devices are known for use in electrical connectors to assure that all of the terminals are properly positioned within the connector housing. Basically, a terminal position assurance device is movable between a first position and a second position. The device can move to the second position only when all of the terminals are properly positioned in their respective passages. If even a single terminal is not properly positioned, the terminal position assurance device cannot move away from its first position. Such a device often is used to prevent mating of a connector with a complementary connector unless the terminal position assurance device is moved to its second or enabling position. A problem with such systems is that an operator often does not discover that one or more terminals are not properly positioned until attempts are made to mate the connector. At that time, "defective" connectors simply are wastefully discarded.
The present invention is directed to a unique system wherein the hood or cover of an electrical connector cannot be assembled or secured to the connector housing unless all of the terminals within the housing are in their respective proper positions, i.e. until the terminal position assurance device is moved to its second or enabling position. Therefore, an improperly positioned terminal will be detected at the early stage of assembling the hooded connector.